Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Streaming Sooloos Metadata Service Down...?

Has anyone experienced an "outage" in the Sooloos metadata service?

Last night I successfully ripped many different CDs, all of which were quickly and successfully recognised by the Sooloos metadata service.

This morning, every different CD I loaded in the drive (whether recent or older, mainstream or obscure) resulted in an "unknown album" message.

At the same time, the i-Tunes database was correctly recognising all these CDs.

It was as though the whole Sooloos service was down.

2 questions:-

1 - Has anyone else experienced this (or has anyone successfully used the metadata service when ripping CDs this morning?).

2 - (and I know this is a very long shot!) Is there a web address you can navigate to which shows the current status of the metadata service, just so if it is suffering an outage, you don't waste ages trying different CDs, thinking it may be an issue with the discs, or your home system?

Thanks

Neil

Well, I presume from the lack of responses, that no-one else was trying to rip this morning...?

Anyway, I have reason to believe that there was an outage, not least because all the CDs which were not recognised this morning, are now working fine!

So pleased to report that everything is back to normal, but equally hoping that those in charge of the metadata process read this post, and consider implementing some sort of a real-time service status page in the future.

Here's hoping...

Neil

FYI The "metadata service" is the AMG database, which Meridian can access thanks to paying a licence fee of some kind. They are not really in a position to implemenet service status pages etc for a service they don't run.

That's interesting, Nic.

In fact I had heard that what I referred to as the Sooloos service, is actually a database which calls on more than one - several even! - of the commercical databases.

That may be completely wrong though...

Neil

As can dBpoweramp, I suspect it's the same technology. Not sure whether it's a central database or just clever programming.

I think I read somewhere in the official paperwork that it was AMG only, but it seems from this thread that you are right, and the Sooloos software talks to more than just AMG. Sorry for the confusion.

My guess is that AMG is the first port of call, the others being used if it doesn't find the full data. This supposition is based on the fact that when AMG has a disc, it has a load of information on it (all secondary credits, maybe a review etc).

By the by, I just found this interview with someone from AMG. Old but a bit interesting.

I'm not sure how this talk of "Musical Fingerprints" etc., is implemented in the Sooloos version of access to AMG's Metadata

I started ripping in early 2003, when Disk Space was still an issue

For this and other reasons, I decided to rip Albums, but only some of the tracks from that Album........sometimes, that might be 2 out of 12 track..........other times, 8 out of 12 tracks

Recently, I started to import those RIP's into Sooloos........but I get an "Unknown Album" error returned from ControlPC...........and these Albums would all be well known and not remotely obscure

In one case, I had an Album with Tracks 1 thru 6 Ripped, of a total Seven Track Album........and an Album that AMG definitely has on its database

Despite multiple different tries.........I could not get past the "Unknown Album" error........it seems like it only wants to know about Complete Albums

In short, I don't think Sooloos has access to the "Full Fat" AMG Database or Capabilities

Interesting about incomplete albums, as I am also thinking about that as I sort out what I have ripped already on my machines in preparation for the move to Sooloos (one day).

I found three so far so it's no biggy to input by hand, but the question remains: when one has (as we both do) incomplete albums already ripped, is there a way to trick the metadata into Sooloos, using the AMG album number perhaps? You don't mention it, as far as I understand only saying that AMG doesn't automatically find the tracks through this supposed "fingerprint" system.

Doesn't the AMG (and other databases) database recognise CDs by looking at the timings of individual tracks in the ToC? I'm not sure any of these databases will recognise individual tracks or partly ripped albums.

Even if you input the AMG Album ID Tag from the AMG Site, it still returns the "Unknown Album" error

This is whether you type in the AMG ref as you see it............or Copy & Paste (with the intervening spaces) the ID Tag from the AMG Site

It returns the same error whether you're trying this at the Import stage.......or after the Album has been successfully Imported, when you click on the "Update Metadata" option

It will Import the incomplete Album.......but will leave Blank all the Credits and Reviews and Genre information

And one last thing.........it will tag the Album as "Lossy" even though the Album is definitely Lossless

All in all, a very poor performance IMHO

Also worth noting........

Take the same Incomplete Albums and try to Import into iTunes......what happens???

The Albums are recognized.......and the correct Genre and Credits information is applied

iTunes uses Gracenote, as is well known

Sounds like a big fat "no".

As the interface is (or was?) one of the main USPs, they really have to make sure it can do everything iTunes can, but better, don't they...